L Line (Los Angeles Metro)
The L Line is a light rail line running from Azusa to East Los Angeles via Downtown Los Angeles serving several attractions, including Little Tokyo, Union Station, the Southwest Museum, Chinatown and the shops of Old Pasadena. The line, which is one of six in the Metro Rail system, entered service in 2003 and is operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The Gold Line serves 27 stations.
The name of the line was changed from the Gold Line to the L Line in early 2020; however, the line in its current configuration will cease to exist when the Regional Connector is completed in 2022. At that point it will be split into two parts, with the northern half serving as an extension to the A Line and the southern half serving as an extension to the E Line.
Service description
Route
Beginning in East Los Angeles, the Gold Line initially runs west toward Downtown Los Angeles. From its southern terminus at, the line travels west along 3rd Street to Indiana Street, where it turns north for two blocks to 1st Street. From here, the line continues west to Little Tokyo, partly through a tunnel under Boyle Heights with two underground stations. At Alameda Street in Little Tokyo, the line turns north and crosses over the Hollywood Freeway, and stops at Union Station on tracks 1 and 2. At Union Station, riders can connect with the Metro Red and Metro Purple Subway Lines, the Metro Silver Line bus rapid transit line as well as several other Metro bus lines, LADOT Dash lines, Metrolink regional commuter trains, and Amtrak services including Pacific Surfliner and long distance interstate trains, and Amtrak throughway motorcoaches connecting to San Joaquin trains originating at Bakersfield.From Union Station, the Gold Line proceeds north on elevated rail to Chinatown and then crosses the Los Angeles River adjacent to the Golden State Freeway. From here, the route continues north/northeast, serving the hillside communities north of downtown, including Lincoln Heights, Mount Washington and Highland Park. Through this stretch, the Gold Line operates primarily at grade, except for a short underpass below Figueroa Street.
North of Highland Park, the route crosses over the Arroyo Seco Parkway. The route continues through South Pasadena and then downtown Pasadena, primarily at-grade. In Old Pasadena, the line travels underground for almost half a mile long, passing under Pasadena's main thoroughfare, Colorado Boulevard. Finally, the Gold Line enters the median of the Foothill Freeway and continues east to station, in Pasadena just west of the Arcadia city limits.
East of Pasadena, the route crosses over the eastbound lanes of Foothill Freeway west of Santa Anita Avenue, with stops at the Arcadia Station, located at the corner of First Avenue and Santa Clara Street, then it crosses over Huntington Drive and stops at the Monrovia Station, north of Duarte Road at Myrtle Avenue. It continues eastbound with a stop at the Duarte/City of Hope Station located at the north side of Duarte Road, across the street from the City of Hope Medical Center, then continues going over the San Gabriel River and stops at the Irwindale Station at Irwindale Avenue, continues over the Foothill Freeway over Foothill Boulevard and stops at the Azusa Station at Azusa Avenue, north of Foothill Boulevard, and its terminus is at the APU/Citrus College Station just west of Citrus Avenue.
Hours of operation
Metro Gold Line trains operate between 3:45 a.m. and 12:45 a.m. daily.Headways
Trains on the Gold Line operate every 7 minutes during peak hours Monday through Friday. Middays consist of 12–18 minute headways, while weekends all day have a frequency of 12–18 minutes. Nighttime service operates every 20 minutes.Speed
The Gold Line trains travel at a maximum speed of 55 mph. It takes 73 minutes to travel its length, at an average speed of over its length. The Gold Line is particularly slow through the Highland Park and Little Tokyo areas, where trains reach speeds of only due to several street crossings and through the curves, where trains travel at about.Ridership
Following the extension to East Los Angeles in 2009, the line's ridership increased to almost 30,000 daily boardings., the average weekday daily boardings for the Gold Line stood at 42,417 and as of 2014 the average daily weekday boardings had increased to 44,707. Following the extension to Azusa, ridership rose to 49,238 as of May 2016.History
Much of the Gold Line's current right-of-way through the San Gabriel Valley was originally built by the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad in 1885, eventually taken over by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, as part of the Pasadena Subdivision, which saw Amtrak service into the early 1990s. This segment was part of the original plan for the Metro Blue Line, but when a ban on sales tax spending on subway tunnels passed in 1998, the project became a separate line terminating at Union Station.The original Gold Line, between Union Station and Sierra Madre Villa, opened July 26, 2003.
The Gold Line Eastside Extension, a separate segment following all new right-of-way extending east from Union Station to East Los Angeles, opened on November 15, 2009.
The first stage of the Gold Line Foothill Extension, running from Sierra Madre Villa station in Pasadena to APU/Citrus College station in Azusa, opened on March 5, 2016.
Future developments
Regional Connector Transit Project
Metro is currently constructing the Regional Connector, a light rail subway tunnel in Downtown Los Angeles that will connect the A and E Lines to the L Line and allow a seamless "one-seat ride" between the A and E Lines' current terminus at 7th Street/Metro Center and Union Station. When this project is completed, the A, E, and L Lines will be simplified into the following configuration:- A Line
- * The northeastern segment of the L Line will serve as an extension to current A Line
- * This combined line will become world's longest light rail line at long, surpassing the Coast Tram in Belgium
- * The Gold Line Foothill Extension will also be absorbed into the A Line, extending it further to Montclair upon completion
- E Line
- * The southern portion of the current L Line to East L.A. will be combined with current E Line, which will keep the E Line name but the L Line's current gold color on maps
- * The E Line will not connect to Union Station
The groundbreaking for the construction of the Regional Connector took place on September 30, 2014 and it is expected to be in public service by 2022.
Foothill Extension Phase 2B
A second phase of the Foothill Extension, to Montclair in San Bernardino County, had a groundbreaking ceremony on December 2, 2017, with a current estimated completion date of 2026. By then, this extension will become part of the A Line.Eastside Extension Phase 2
Metro is considering a new extension of the Metro Gold Line in the Eastside. This second phase of the Eastside Corridor would extend the Gold Line's southern leg eastward, from its current terminus at Atlantic station to Whittier.As of August 2010, Metro has completed the Alternatives Analysis phase. The next step for Metro is to conduct an initial environmental study, leading to publication and approval of a Draft Environmental Impact Report.
The two alignments to be studied in the DEIR are:
- SR-60 LRT: Mixture of at-grade and aerial running along the Pomona Freeway to South El Monte
- Washington LRT: Aerial running south on Garfield Avenue and then east on Washington Boulevard to Whittier
- Or both.
Station listing
| Station | Date Opened | City/ Neighborhood | Major connections and notes |
| November 15, 2009 | East Los Angeles | Park and ride: 289 stalls | |
| November 15, 2009 | East Los Angeles | ||
| November 15, 2009 | East Los Angeles | ||
| November 15, 2009 | East Los Angeles | Park and ride: 42 stalls | |
| November 15, 2009 | Los Angeles | ||
| November 15, 2009 | Los Angeles | ||
| November 15, 2009 | Los Angeles | ||
| November 15, 2009 | Los Angeles | ||
| July 26, 2003 | Downtown Los Angeles | Connects with,,, Amtrak, LAX FlyAway and Metrolink | |
| July 26, 2003 | Los Angeles | ||
| July 26, 2003 | Los Angeles | Park and ride: 94 stalls | |
| July 26, 2003 | Los Angeles | Park and ride: 129 stalls | |
| July 26, 2003 | Los Angeles | ||
| July 26, 2003 | Los Angeles | ||
| July 26, 2003 | South Pasadena | Park and ride: 142 stalls | |
| July 26, 2003 | Pasadena | Park and ride: 155 stalls | |
| July 26, 2003 | Pasadena | Park and ride: 610 stalls | |
| July 26, 2003 | Pasadena | ||
| July 26, 2003 | Pasadena | Park and ride: 22 stalls | |
| July 26, 2003 | Pasadena | ||
| July 26, 2003 | Pasadena | Park and ride: 965 stalls | |
| March 5, 2016 | Arcadia | Park and ride: 300 stalls | |
| March 5, 2016 | Monrovia | Park and ride: 350 stalls | |
| March 5, 2016 | Duarte | Park and ride: 125 stalls | |
| March 5, 2016 | Irwindale | Park and ride: 350 stalls | |
| March 5, 2016 | Azusa | Park and ride: 521 stalls | |
| March 5, 2016 | Azusa | Park and ride: 200 stalls | |
| ' | 2025 | Glendora | |
| ' | 2025 | San Dimas | |
| 2025 | La Verne | ||
| Pomona | 2025 | Pomona |
Operations
Maintenance facilities
The Gold Line is operated in both the Division 21 Yard and Division 24 yard. Division 21 is located on Vin Scully Drive just north of North Broadway, overlooking the Los Angeles River, and Division 24 is located south of the I-210 freeway in Monrovia. These yards stores the fleet used on the Gold Line. It is also where maintenance is done on the fleet. Trains can access these yards via a single track junction.Rolling stock
Gold Line trains are typically two-car trains. During peak hours on weekdays, some three-car trains run. On New Year's Day, the Gold Line uses three-car trains for service to the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl Game. Service operates from approximately 4 am to 1 am, with service approximately every 7 minutes during peak hours, 12 minutes middays and on weekends and 20 minutes until the close of service.Trains are composed of articulated light rail vehicles which are compatible with Metro's light rail lines. As of April 2012, the Gold Line uses 50 AnsaldoBreda P2550 LRVs, and it was the first of the Metro light rail line to introduce the Kinkisharyo P3010 LRVs into service.
In April 2012, Metro transferred the last of the Gold Line's Siemens P2000 trains to the Blue Line and Expo Line.
Commemorative cars
On December 21, 2007, Metro introduced cars 233 and 235, which are the special commemorative trains for the 119th Tournament of Roses Parade and the 94th Rose Bowl Game. These are known as the 2008 "Tournament Train".Advertising
On October 3, 2007, Metro Gold Line trains began having advertisement banners on the sides of trains, like on the Metro Green Line. On February 13, 2008, Metro removed the banner ads on all Metro Gold Line trains. But in mid-June 2008, banners promoting the Long Range Transportation Plan were added on car 246. On July 14, 2008, banner ads were added on cars 229, 235, 236, 238, 239, 244, 250 and 302.Incidents
The following noteworthy incidents have occurred on the Gold Line since opening.- September 11, 2007 – A driver was critically injured and six passengers, including an LA County Deputy Sheriff and the train operator, suffered minor injuries when a pickup truck ran a red light at Avenue 55 and Marmion Way before being hit by a train.
- September 21, 2007 – Six people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, including two minor injuries after an SUV broke off the crossing arms and was struck by a northbound Metro Gold Line train at Avenue 50 and Marmion Way in Mt. Washington. The vehicle caught fire and a section of the train was also burnt. It was claimed that the female SUV driver had tried to beat the train. A local resident extinguished the fire in the car with a garden hose before Los Angeles Firefighters arrived. The train that suffered fire damage was repaired and later placed on the Metro Green Line.
- October 13, 2007 – Service was suspended for 12 hours at 1:20 a.m. after a big rig hit the center divider of the eastbound Foothill Freeway at Sierra Madre Blvd. and went on the Metro Gold Line tracks. During the course of the accident, buses were provided to bypass the accident site.
- August 26, 2011 – An altercation between passengers resulted in a non-fatal stabbing during a trip through Pasadena. The train was stopped at the Memorial Park station where the victim was transported to a hospital and the suspect was detained.
- April 24, 2014 – Service was suspended between the Lake and Sierra Madre Villa stations after a collision between two tractor-trailers on the eastbound Foothill Freeway resulted in one vehicle landing on the Gold Line tracks, damaging the tracks and overhead wires. Full return to normal service took several days.
- March 6, 2016 – Service between Allen and Arcadia stations were disrupted for most of the evening, resuming Monday morning, one day after the opening of the Foothill Extension when a semi-truck driver lost control and sent his trailer onto the tracks.
- December 29, 2016 – A pedestrian was struck and killed by a train heading eastbound into the Arcadia station at 12:12 a.m. Full service was restored by 5:30 a.m.
- October 1, 2017 – A woman was fatally struck on a set of tracks at Pasadena Avenue and Monterey Road. The crash occurred about 7:35 a.m.
- February 20, 2018 – A high speed pursuit ended in the Gold Line tunnel between Soto and Indiana stations, suspending service between Pico/Aliso and Indiana occurring around 10:00 p.m. One male suspect was arrested as the female escaped.
- April 26, 2018 – An accident on the I-210 freeway involving a FedEx truck that ended up on the Gold Line tracks in both directions between Lake and Memorial Park stations, damaging both the wires and the rails. This was a day after the line was suspended in Highland Park and South Pasadena for damaged wires.
- November 27, 2018 – A man is fatally stabbed while traveling on the westbound Gold Line just past Azusa station.
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